Button-sewing machine.



W. L. BARRON. BUT-TON SEWING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 12, 1912. 1 085,786 Patented Feb, 3, 1914gamma-sum 1.

IN VEIV TOR Mai/9M ,4 TTORNEY W. L. BARRON.- BUTTON SEWING MACHAPPL-IOATION FILED APR.12, 1912.

INE.

- Patented Eeb. 3,1914;-

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" WITNESSES:

' INVENTOR ATTORNEY ran cur os.

WILLIAM L. BARRON, on NEW YORK, N. Y AssIon'on r THE smear. MANUFAC-roams com any, a conroaarrou on NEW JERSEY.

BUTTON-SEWING Mannin -s.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1914.

Application filed April 12, 1912. Serial-N0. 690,412.

Sewing Machines, of which the following is; a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention has for its primary object to provide a button-holder forthe easy introduction and removal of the so-called self-shank buttons or.those formed at the back with a projection or protuberanceintegral withthe body of the button to re;

' perspective view of the button-holder,

pre sser-foot-and work-support. Fig. dis a ceive the fastening stitches.

As preferably constructed, the buttonholder is secured to aspring-pressed presserbar of a sewing machine and comprises twogripping-jaw carrying levers connected to gether for reciprocal movementand nor mally forced toward each other by a con tinuously acting springand by an intermit-i tingly acting spring whose action is de-,'

signed to be interrupted by the lifting of the button-holder forintroduction and removal of the buttons. The button gripping jaws forbuttons of various patterns, are located uniformly in relation to theneedle-path.

a raised work-support at one side of which the button-holder isdisposed, and upon the top of which normally rests the presser-footwhich is mounted upon a spring-pressed presser-bar journaled in themachine-frame independently of the bar to which the but ton-holder isattached. A common lifter is arranged for successive engagement with thetwo pressenbars so as to lift first the button-holder and then thepresserfoot.

By the means just described, the posit-ion of the. button-holderrelative to the worksupport may be adjusted for the largest sizedbuttons for which it is adapted, and the attachment is thus adaptedforattaching the buttons to fabrics of very widely varying thicknesses, thelift of the buttontons forced by the inclination of the jaws toward thesame, whereby the rearward faces of the buttons having the shanks, 1

' holder not being dependent in any degree upon the thickness of thematerial and requiring norchange for variations in thickness of thematerial to which the buttons are attached. This is true particularlybecause the button performs no function in the holding of the material,and is automatically centered at the same level within the grip pingjaws by reason of the. concavity of the latter upon their common axistransverse to the needle-path.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 2.front end elevation of a button sewing machine embodying the presentinvention. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the stop device for thejawcarrying levers, and Fig. a similar view of the'work-support. Fig. 6is a detail transverse section of the presser-bar lifting lever and a.portion of the sewing machine frame. Fig. 7 is a side elevation of theattachmenhand Figs. 8 and 9 are respectively, top and bottom views ofthe buttonholder. Fig. is an end view ofthe jawcarrying levers with thegripping jaws in face view and Fig. 1f an enlarged transverse sectionalview of the gripping jaws with a button held therein. Fig. 12 is aperspective view of the frame member containing the slideway for theresser-foot carrying bar.

The machine is shown constructed with a frame comprising the hollowstandard 1 with the lateral work-sustaining arm or j horn 2 and thehollow overhanging arm 3 in The machine is preferably provided withwhich latter is journaled the main-shaft 4 carrying at its rearward endthe fast and loose pulleys 5 and 6 and at the forward end the take-upcam-cylinder 7 provided wlth the crank-pin 8 connected by means of thepitman 9 with the usual stud upon the collar 10 fixed upon theneedle-bar 11 which carries the eyepointed needle 12. The reciprocatingneedle-bar 11 is journaled in the swinging frame 13 fulcrumed within thehead of thebracket-a-rm and provided with a lateral arm ltoperativelyconnected by suitable means, including the link 15, with the groove 16of the cam-cylinder 17 deriving step-by-step rotary movements from asuitable connection with the main-shaft 4.

Cooperating with the needle 12'is the oscilla'ting shuttle 18 journaledin the race 19 and provided with shuttle is actuated 1, 3 at the forwardend o inonnted within tho horn its r iarward end the cranl; a mannerwell know! by me e i A and nitnaan 25 h 526 of. tlic znain-slnrlit.

Upon the ontsr sustaining arm 2 is secure z 7 entering; apertures thoroitnroat- Plato Qt) which i'orincn with rifls 1 support adjacent which docwith m hutto 31. "The work-guidiing lip riso of the support 30, whica isn -d "rans- Yorsoly to root-1m ti o hlocl: 33

secured oil": is soren'v inn arni if. having a lateral lug :t'or cng-liuniont by the forward tho hitting; levor inountcd upon his rnlcrum:svl'Ol'V-sifld 4-5 sustained by iho brains, and liming a roarn'ardly(,Xifilltll'iig arzn 46 with n'oral inn is? which carries a stop-screwd8 1 d from l-nrniug hy the icoli-nu'b 49 and 1 point normally resting;upon tho lr ot the hi-aolzshin 3 as represented and 3. 'lho ti'unvt' iof the screw for limit;-

; lh a rockin l:

is is to ail'ord an adjustable Dig the doscondinn' lllOYQlilQllt o h-wr"liit; under tho action of I 11.. 7O surrounding rim 1) isscr-l andiniorposod laelwcnn the (collar 39 and too up"? hearing oi (hrhar 3.

h vcnrod to tho lower cud haimy incans oi the screw 5 i.

' latorally 07" nni pa lap-nus h 'istahly in tho opoativo no r w a rdcrunnwl (ho aw-carrying lovers each nrovidcul with a down-turnedextension (51' allordinga hutton-nipping jaw. The lovers 55) and 6d are"formed adjaccnt ihoir fulcranzcd ends with tho iniorinoshing toothedsectors (32 by i'icans f which they are oausod to move toward mi from :hothor lGQlSJlUCtlllIV, being drz'iwn lADQQtllQl hy moans of thocontinuously a :ting springs (33 connected at opposite onds hy moons ofthe screws G l with the levers 59 and. 60. The

formed with ccncaved conical gripping surhaiing a common axis ofcurvatur ansvorso to noodlogath in the plane 0' i and ssc'ncd to theforward faces faces i at ooposito sides of tho needlepath and at theedges having the larger ciumrtuiz h c the button-confining plates (35which arosocursd thereto in slightly inclined relation as represented inFig. 11, By

moans o" the screws 66, so that their edges (Win-hang to atlordsustaining lips for the adjacol'it margins of the button thrust againsttho same by the flaring operative faces of the jaws. Tin plates arepreferably inclined forwardly so as to provide for buttons inning curvedhacks or rearward faces.

Secured upon the top of the holder-plate 57 intorinodiats thestud-screws by means of the screw ()7 and Washcr 68 is the angularportion 69 of a: yoke-shaped spring formed with the spaced arms 70 and71 extending torwardl and each resting against the outer odgc of one oftwo independent slide-bars T2 journalod in alinod ira isvorso slidowaysin tho upwardly extending lugs 73 of the lranw-plato 5 and l ai inginwardly extendin; portions T l normally rosiing upon the outer od 'os0t tho lovers and (30. The spri 1. 7G and 71 act upon the arms 59 and{1%) on 'h their respective slido-hars 752 to ap y an additionalclamping pressure to the butt. tho holding; of me button ilrinly duringthe stitching opu'alioin The adjacent upper cornors of the slide-bars 72are rounded to rci-oiro tho wodgoshapod lower oxtrmnity 75 of a rigidretracting arm or rotractor '76 having a foot 77 fori'ncd with anaporturo to rocoivo a fastening screw-stud '79 with damp-nut S0 forscouring said arm in posh Lion. When the pressor-har 37 lOWQIOCh asrepresented in Fig. i, the slido-l'iars 72 disengaged from thewedgoshapcd extremity oi the arm 76, but when the PFBSSOf-bfll? andbutton-holder are liftcd, the slhls-hars aro brought into engagementwith tho and forced apart represented in thereby relieving thejaw-carrying; and (50 of the pressure of the spring and. 71 andper1nittin; them to grip tho opposite edges oi? the button inerel in lig 'hi; action of the primary spring 3, so that after a stitchiin;-operation the bution may be easily replaced by a new one.

l HlCl'HlIltKl UPON a screw-stud S1 depending from the holder-plate 57is an anglelcrcr formed with arms 82 and 83, the latfor oi which carriesa fulcrum screw-pin 8i onihracrd by one apertured (ind of a link 85whose other end has an elongated aperture 1% loosely embracing thestudpin HT upon the lower side of the jaw-carrying lover 5f). 'ihoend ofthe other arm 82 of the angle oirgripping aws to insure lever has a boss88 provided with :1. thread ed aperture'to receive the shank 89 of aclamp-screw passing through a slot 99' in a lateral extension 91 of theholder-plate 57 and provided with a head 92 by means 'of which theangle-lever may beset in difbutton between said jaws forces themapartslightly, but less than the range of movement permitted by thelength of the aperture 86 of the link 85, thus providing for the freeopening and closing of the jaws within narrow limits. To accommodate abutton of different size, it is merely necessary to suitably shift theangle-lever .82 83, which changes the range of movement and workingpositions of the jaw-carrying levers while maintaining the samerestriction of their degree of opening and closing movement. Inpractice, the jaw 61 of the lever 60 is made shorter than that of theother lever to facilitate the edgewise withdrawal of a button stitchedtothe fabric after the lifting of the button-holder.

Opposed to the upper operative face of the work-support 30 isithepresser-foot 93 f formed in one edge "adjacent the buttonholding jawswith the needle-aperture 94 and having its shank in the form of a bar 95having a laterally extending arched upper end 96 and fitted within avertical guideway 97 of the depending rigid arm 98 and;

having an aperture 99 entered by a screw 100 by means of which it issecured to the lower end of the bracket-arm head. The

bar 95 is normally pressed downwardly by means of a spring 101 securedat one end by means of the screw 102 to the lower end of the bracket-armhead with its other exftremity resting upon a stud-pin 103 tapped intothe bar 95 and passing through a slot 104 in the arm 98 in which the bar95 is confined by means of the cap-plate 105 secured thereon by screws106.

The extremity of the arched upper portion 96 ofthe presser-bar 95 isadapted for engagement with a laterally extending lug 107 of the collar39, but is in practice disposed more or less above said lug, depending'upon the size of the button for which the holder .is set, so that thetilting of the l1ft-- ing lever 44 46 causes the successive raising ofthe button-holder and presser-foot differentially, their respectivelifting movements being determined by the size of the button and thethickness of the material interposed axial line,

tially the level of the upper face of the.

work-support 30. As each of these jaws is inclined divergently fromtheir gommon' axis, it will be observed that through the combined actionof the jaw-closing springs 63 and 69, 70, 71 upon the levers 59 and 60,

the opposite edges of the button are gripped I at the points of tangencyandon the said whereby all symmetrically formed buttons will have theirshanks presented, not only centrally of the plane of movement of thejogging needle but at substantially' the same level and within thecavity 36. It is obvious'that the terms conical and curved as employedherein relatively to the button-gripping jaws, has.. reference tothedivergent inclination of the parts thereof determining the level atwhich the button is held. and are to be understood 1n reference to.function of this feature .rather than tomere geometrical shape.

' In the use of the machine fitted with the present mprovement, therock-lever 44 46 is first tilted to raise the button-holder andpresser-foot, thereby retracting the springarms 70 and 71 and permittingthe oper 'ation only-0f the light spring 63 upon the gripping jaws 61. Abutton 6 if? then pressed inwardly from the rear, the laws be ing wedgedapart by the rounded edge of the buttonand then closing in to grip thebutton as the rim of the latter comes in contact with the retainingplates 65 against which it is pressed by the flaring form of thesurfaces 61 as represented particularly in Fig. 11. The button-shank bis thus caused to enter the cavity 36 of the block 33 with itstransverse aperture within the range of movement of the needle upon oneof its strokes. The material m is then doubled over andintroducedbetween the presser-foot 93 and the work-support 30 with itsfolded edge in contact with the end of the button.- shank b and-theguide-lip 32. The workholder and resser-foot are then lowered, the loweredge of the button, if a large one, entering the cavity 31 of thethroat-plate 29, after which the machine is set in motion and a seriesof fastening stitches is applied in a manner well known. At thecompletion of the fastening operation, the rock-lever 44 46 is againtilted to lift the button-holder and presser-foot and the work iswithdrawn toward the front of the machine after the button has beenpressed downwardly to free it from the gripping jaws.

Having thus set forth the nature of the invention, what I claim hereinis 1. A button-holder comprising gripping jaws. in ans including aspring for forcing said ]t1\\'. tl}')t)il a button to he gripped, and

means for reducing the gripping force upon- Said button to apredetermined nnninnun, said means con'ipletii'ig its operation without.disturbing the gripping position of said aws.

:2. A button-holder tioll'lfillfilllg gripping jaws, means formaintaining a light gripping force upon said jaws and means l'or in-:reasing the gripping force upon said jaws at predetermined periods.

I). A lmtton-hi'ilder coin ,irisingoppostal gripping jaws. acontinuously acting spring;- lfor forcing said jaws toward *ach other, asecond springalso adapted to force said jaws toward each other, andmeans for rendering inetl'ective the second-nainral spring.

4. A button-holder comprising opposed cont-.aved gripping jaws having acommon axis of curvature. a continuously acting spring;- for forcingsaid jaws toward each other, a second spring also adapted to 'l orccsaidjaws toward each other, and means For relieving; said jaws of theaction ol the sow ond-nanaed spring.

5. The combination with stitch-ionizing mechanism including: areciprocating; needle,

oil a button-holder comprising opposed con: cared conical gripping; jawshaving ttt'tiltl- X11011 axis oi" curvature and disposed in a planesubstantia ly parallel with the needle path and provided withMerl-Ranging lips at the edges oi larger curvature a s1 ring for forcing1-aid jaws toward each other, and a connection hctwecn said jaws wherebythe are caused to advance and rc rede equally.

t3. h tuition-holder comprising a pair of levers itiliiiticittl l'orreciprocal movement and ea -h carrying a tuition-gripping; jaw, a springttr drawing said levers together, a laterally adjustable fulcrum-pin, astudpin carried h one of said lerers, and a slotted lllilt connectingsaid pins, one of which loosely eiuhraced hy the aperture of said lll.land adapted to limit the lateral niorenienti ot' said lever.

'T. i laitton-holder comprising two grip ping-jaw rarrring inenihcrsconnected for reciprocal movement, a spring for forcing them toward eachother, a double-armed spring embracing said levers and adapted also toforce them toward each o her, and. positively acting; means forspreading said springdirins to ret not them from operative relation withtheir respective jaw-carrying ineinhers.

8. in a, sewing machine, in combination, wo substantially parallel andindependently eciprocil bars, a work-support, a buttonltiltltl securedto one of said bars and susained thereby at one side of thework-support, a presser-foot secured to the other of said bars anddisposed adjacent the buttonholder and ahore the work-support, and meansto." ditl'erentially lifting said ha in a sewing machine, incon'ihinatiion, two sulistantially par: llel and independentlyreciprocal liars, a work-support, a buttonholder secured to one of saidbars and sustainrd thereby at one side of the W01 -support, a presse'toOt secured to the other of aid hars and disposed adjacent thebuttonholder and above the worlesupport, and urea H, including a commonlever, adapted to successively engage said bars for ditlerentiall lii'tisaid button-holder and. V])E'(SJ tl'-'l i c'.

it). in a sewing niacl'iine, the combination with a spring-pi 'sed pressliar. of a hat1- ton-hohler comprising; reciprocally moving nieniherscai'ri'ingg opposed gripping a continuou acting spring acting-.upon saidnieniliers to force said jaws toward each other, means li'it'illltllillga second spring also ac ing upon said members to force said jaws towardeach other, a retractor normally disengaged l'roni. said means wherebythe action ii" the swond-nanied spring upon said 111G111- )ers inar leinterru 'ited, and a presser-har li ter whereby said inc-ins are hrouht; into pcrative relation with the retract on fin testinioni'rl'iereof, l. have signed 1 name to this s 'ieciiication, in thepresei of two suhscrihing witnesses.

xi li ji l i i h iii L. BA RHON.

